The Vikings got a pretty bad reputation in Medieval Christian Europe. Did they deserve this bad reputation? Why or why not? (Think about the places the attacked and who wrote about the history of the Viking). Maybe rewatch Crash Course History: Vikings for more info!

Yes, and no. For one reason, the Vikings got a bad reputation because they had pagan gods, and weren't Christian. This made everyone else believe that they were barbarians, which wasn't fair.

On the other hand, they burned down monasteries and raided towns. For this reason, they deserve it. The victims of raiding were the ones that wrote down the history, meaning that their image would be twisted since they're obviously not going to be "Wowza! They raided my village and burned down the local monastery! What good men.".

Reply

Ellen L.

4/19/2016 08:52:50 am

I totally agree with you. I forgot to mention that the Vikings worshiped Pagan gods, and were penalized for not being Christian, which wasn't fair.

I understand that they got a bad rep for raids, which they deserved, but I also said that they weren't as uncultured as they were said to be. Vikings were some of the most skilled sailors of their time. Not to mention they were exceptional traders, and got their hands on some things that their communities were originally unfamiliar to.

Reply

Delia B.

4/19/2016 12:55:35 pm

I totally agree with you Ellen. It was not fair that that people hated the Vikings because of who they are.😰 Today most people except who others are, and most do not treat them like garbage.

Libby B.

4/21/2016 12:27:39 pm

You have to understand then, that since they worshiped in Pagan gods, it was perfectly fine to them to raid monasteries. Many of us today think this is awful to do, but you have to also look at it form the viking's perspective.

George L.

4/24/2016 07:30:57 pm

I agree with you Libby you have a very good point. The people who got conquered by the Vikings weren't the only ones with a perspective

Jenna H.

4/19/2016 01:40:28 pm

You are swaying my choice they did raid a lot towns.In very brutal ways but that is what you hade to do to get land.So yes and no now.

Reply

Lilianna C.

4/24/2016 06:49:22 pm

I agree, both sides make sense and both are true. I can see how they deserve it and how they don't deserve it.

Reply

Ellen L.

4/18/2016 01:53:44 pm

Yes, I understand that the Vikings' reputation wasn't the greatest, but on the contrary, they were actually pretty civilized. They were skilled traders, and they were skilled traders. They traded their own materials for things that they weren't familiar with, which expanded their inventory. They were also some of the most talented sailors of their time. They constructed long ships, which assisted them in not only scaling the seas, but also rivers, to easily raid villages. They even had something similar to modern-day court, but they called the meetings, "The Thing".

Reply

Tony K.

4/24/2016 09:06:53 pm

I agree with you elen, they were very intelligent people indeed. Their long ships were probably the most smart idea they had made.

Reply

Daniel O

4/19/2016 05:55:13 am

Yes and no, yes because they attacked in a very brutal mean way but they were just trying to conquer new land. No because they were just called barbarians because they did not believe in one god so they were uncivilized in Europe. They also should not get this repetition because they were very good sailors they were the first to find North America. Also they even had a court like the one we have today.

Reply

Josie N.

4/19/2016 04:06:19 pm

I was actually thinking that they very much deserved their reputation, but now I see what you mean. They did raid helpless poor people, and holy monasteries, but they were judged only, because they were polytheistic. They did also influence the world, and they were very skilled. You're absolutely right, because they made discoveries that may have affected our way of living. If they'd not have found North America there may have not been people there when Christopher Columbus got there. I guess they weren't really that bad, but there are better ways to get wealthy and be well known.

Reply

Daniel O

4/20/2016 06:26:14 am

I agree Josie they did sort of deserve their repetition because they did raid helpless poor people ,and holy monasteries.They did make some amazing discovers like North America.I think you make a very good point because there is a better way to get wealthy and be well known then burning down monasteries.

George L.

4/24/2016 07:29:00 pm

I also am half and half because for one, they were just trying to conquer new land and they weren't completely uncivilized because like Daniel said they had a lot of skill. Then in the other end, they were very cruel and in a lot of people's opinions uncivilized because they worshipped pagan gods.

Reply

Oscar B.

4/24/2016 09:04:45 pm

I agree with you. Everyone thought they were barbarians but they were just as intelligent as everyone in Europe.

Reply

Delia B.

4/19/2016 12:51:53 pm

I think that they deserved, but also did not deserve it. They did not deserve it because they were called barbarians and only believed in many gods. Back then people in Europe believed in only one God which was a Christian thing. Citizens did not like the fact that the Vikings were polytheistic. But they also deserved it because they raided towns and destroyed many things that people loved.😰👑💲👛💰

Reply

Krista S.

4/27/2016 12:18:59 pm

I think they were kind bad people because of their decisions. They broke into churches which is wrong.They should have just traded like everybody else. So I think they sorta deserved their reputation.

Reply

Jenna H.

4/19/2016 01:38:25 pm

I think that there reputation is not deserved they were actally civilized.They made there new kind of boat as well.Talented right.It was a boat that was more narrow and not as deep.It could then go on rivers and attack others more easily.Also just because they articles that village does not mean that are bad.That is what a lot of people did back then.

Reply

Josie N.

4/19/2016 04:49:17 pm

I thinks and no as well. The Vikings were very bad people in that they raided holy places to most of the Europeans, and conquored their land. Even though they did horrible things they were very advanced, and discovered many things relevant to us today. They also shaped the past in the feudalism they started.

Reply

Lauren G.

4/20/2016 04:11:52 pm

I can agree that they were bad people. They ransacked homes in search for wealth and land. If this isn't bad enough, they started feudalism in Europe. They would decorate their ships to bring fear to their enemies before they even got there.

Reply

Lauren G

4/20/2016 04:14:42 pm

I believe that the Vikings were a force to be reckoned with. They were fierce, powerful and TOTALLY hated by the people they conquered. They started Feudalism in Europe. They would go for the Monasteries for FUN. No one would fight back making it really easy to steal their riches.

Reply

Libby B.

4/21/2016 12:24:24 pm

I personally don't think it was right for the vikings to obtain a bad reputation. I say this because although they raided monasteries, in their eyes, they didn't do anything wrong. They didn't believe in God, like monks and most people in Europe did. Also, keep in mind that all the villages that were raided were the ones who wrote about the vikings. In this case, the vikings were made out to be barbaric creatures, when really, they were like all other tribes who went to battle with neighboring lands. Vikings were actually very clever, especially while making their longships. By making them not as deep as other ships would have been, it allowed the vikings to sail on rivers.

Reply

Mohammad A.

4/23/2016 08:04:22 pm

Libby I 90% agree with you. I say this because they sacked churches where people would pray.

Reply

Libby B.

4/24/2016 09:31:57 am

Yes, they did raid churches. However, in their eyes nothing was wrong with doing that. It may have seemed offensive to the people, considering they worshiped God, but vikings worshiped Pagan gods. Therefore, the vikings didn't think of their actions to be barbaric.

Delia B.

4/24/2016 04:58:29 am

I agree with your top comment Libby. We have to look at the Vikings perspective. And yes, since they believed in a certain God, they kind of have to follow that Pagan God's rules. Maybe one of their beliefs was to raid a town or two or three or four so on so forth. Great connection.😃

Reply

Mohammad A.

4/23/2016 07:58:45 pm

yes I think the vikings should have had a bad reputation. I say this because they sacked churches. Also they would unethically kill random people.

Reply

Delia B.

4/24/2016 05:03:05 am

The Vikings sacked churches because they really did not care about Christianity. They believed in Pagan gods, which is not a Christian God. So you can not really judge that way. Yes, they did do some bad things but they had some goodness in them.

Reply

Greg g

4/24/2016 02:20:16 pm

I agree with you delia. The Vikings did the wrong thing for the right reason.

Greg g

4/24/2016 02:18:59 pm

I think the Vikings did not deserve the title they were given. They were just difrient people, doing somthing difrient to other people. I see the Vikings as normal people at that time period

Reply

Sean O.

4/24/2016 06:17:34 pm

I don't agree with Greg. They sacked churches.

Reply

Sean O

4/24/2016 06:11:26 pm

I think the vikings deserve how they are treated. They deserve this because that is where monks live. All they do is make bibles and they don't bother people. That is why they deserve how they are treated.

Reply

Sean O.

4/24/2016 06:15:55 pm

And monks live in monasteries.

Reply

Lilianna C.

4/24/2016 06:47:57 pm

I think that they deserved it. They kill inoccent people just for money and they also raided buildings like monasteries for no reason and just for fun which is not necessary to do for amusement. They didn't care about anything and just did what they want.

Reply

Tony K.

4/24/2016 09:00:34 pm

The Vikings should have never gotten a bad reputation. They were completely normal,they just had strategies or better way to do things. To be honest I think that the Kings were much smarter then most people back then. They basically built a two in one boat, it can go in the deep oceans and shallow rivers. Which reminds me about were and how they attack other empires. Instead of fighting their way to there destination, they simply just sails their boats down the river without needing to fight.

Reply

Kiley D.

4/25/2016 04:10:02 am

I agree because like you said they were completely normal human beings. I also have to say though that they did go around destroying things so, they might have deserved the bad representation.

Reply

Oscar B.

4/24/2016 09:02:11 pm

I do not think the Vikings desrved a bad reputation. In Europe people were very religious and Vikings would always attack monasteries. So everyone thought they were crazy enough to do such a thing. The Vikings had their own religion so they didn't know what they did was such a horrible thing to the people in Europe. that's why I think they don't deserve such a bad reputation.

Reply

Kiley D.

4/25/2016 04:07:55 am

Yes and no. Yes because if you think about it they raided towns and made them have that bad reputation. No because this was their life style. They always did this so, I mean why would we give them that bad reputation.

Reply

Leave a Reply.

Author

Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.